The Medical Officer's Journal: HMAS Sydney,1913 to 1922. An Australian Naval Record of Surgery and Anaesthesia at the Time of the Outbreak of World War I

Abstract

The Medical Officer's Journal of HMAS Sydney was a record kept by the ship's surgeon, Leonard Darby, of the conditions on the ship and the health, diseases, injuries and treatment of the sailors under his care. Records of anaesthesia and surgery indicate chloroform was mostly administered, as was ether occasionally. There was some use of intravenous and subcutaneous fluids for resuscitation. The journal also provides an eyewitness account of the Sydney–Emden battle on 9 November 1914 which occurred off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and was a famous first victory for the young Australian Navy, making headlines around the world. The treatment of the many injured, mostly Germans, is described with the two Australian surgeons and the surviving German surgeon working together.

Keywords

naval medic anaesthesia World War I

References

Medical Officers Journal Sydney 1913–1922. Volume 1. Australian War Memorial. Ref AWM239 226.

Pockley, letters, MLMSS 1092, as cited in Carlton, Mike “First Victory-1914: HMAS Sydney's hunt for the German Raider Emden.” William Heineman, Sydney, 2013.